


Falling

by laceandsteelgirl



Category: Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Modern AU, POV Multiple, Susan/Caspian (one sided), University AU, all I ever seem to write are AUs, because i don't need to cry today, but also "i like jane austen's amused narration", it's sort of "i read douglas adams and he had good metaphors", the author strongly apologises for her choice in authorial tone, we won't be dealing with all that heavy "never see you again" voyage of the dawn treader angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-07-27 16:07:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20048812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laceandsteelgirl/pseuds/laceandsteelgirl
Summary: "This, now, was the point when Edmund finally looked properly at the stranger.Jesus Christ, he is hot, Edmund thought desperately."When Edmund collided with Caspian (almost literally), he wasn't expecting to fall in love. To be honest, he was mostly expecting to fall over, because he'd just tripped on his own shoelaces. Unfortunately, he fell in both ways.





	1. Calculators: the bane of a physics student's existence (but bizarrely, their favourite thing at the same time)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't write disclaimers, but I do ask that you all continue to support AO3. It's a wonderful site, and I, for one, enjoy the fact that it allows me the freedom to not need a disclaimer to avoid being sued for my work.

Edmund was late. Seriously late. Like, not just five minutes late but the sort of late that leaves dread in your stomach as you sneak into the back of a room and hope you’re suddenly the same colour as the walls to blend in.

Edmund hated being late. He was running full-tilt down the street, shoelaces untied, pencils slipping out of his fingers, still wearing his pyjama pants. He definitely made a sight, but right now, that was the least of his worries.

Just as his mother’s voice echoed in his head, reminding him to do up his shoelaces or he’d trip, destiny decided to have a little fun. By which I mean, of course, he tripped on his shoelaces. His pencils rolled all over the pavement, his student ID card ended up face down in the gutter, and his calculator hit a brick wall so hard there was no way he was going to be able to spell out “BOOBS” with the numbers, let alone pass his exam. (The “BOOBS” was more a sign of rebellion and less a sign of Edmund’s proclivities. You don’t need to be straight to giggle over such things. You don’t even need to be a child. Walk into any university in the country, say “boobs” to a group of boys and I guarantee they’ll snicker like you’ve just told them a dirty word.)

But that was all rather beside the point. The point was that Edmund, now with additional grazes on his knees and palms, was frantically scrabbling at the pavement, trying to gather all his belongings up. As he was levering the ID card out from near-death in a stormwater drain, a hand reached in front of him and offered him his (less battered than expected) calculator.

“I believe this is yours,” the voice attached to the hand said.

Now, in a rom-com, this would be the point where Edmund would look up, lock eyes, blush, and be rendered silent by the beauty of his rescuer.

In Spongebob, this would be the point where Edmund would look up, and his internal voice would go “Oh no, he’s hot!”

This was neither a rom-com nor Spongebob, so Edmund simply grabbed the calculator, pressed the on button, and then screamed in frustration when it refused to turn on.

“FUCK. Fuck fuck fuck fuck.” Edmund continued to mutter obscenities under his breath. The stranger continued to stand in front of him, hovering like a drone that could only make it one metre off the ground because it was dropped too many times.

“Would you like to borrow my calculator?” the stranger asked, amusedly. “Only, it looks as though wherever you’re going, you desperately need one, and I rather think that one has given up the ghost.”

This, now, was the point when Edmund finally looked properly at the stranger.

Jesus Christ, he _is_ hot, Edmund thought desperately.

“Physics exam. Final. Would you mind?” Edmund said, in a rather garbled tone. (I wouldn’t blame him. The stranger was very attractive.)

“Not at all! I’ve just finished my exams today, so I don’t need it for the moment. I’d be happy to lend it to you.”

“Exams. You go to university?” Edmund was rather proud of himself for stringing that sentence together in a way that made sense. Between his lateness and the stranger’s warm brown eyes, he was having trouble sorting anything out in his head.

“Yes, the same one I suspect you go to, if your ID card is anything to go by.” The stranger opened the bag slung over his shoulder and pulled out a calculator, handing it to Edmund.

“Here you are. Now, can I walk you to the exam hall?” Edmund nodded, and set off down the street once more, albeit at a slightly less punishing pace for the benefit of his rescuer. As they ran, he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Nothing about his morning created a good headspace for taking an exam.

As they reached the exam hall, Edmund was feeling marginally better, and the stranger was only partially out of breath. He was about to walk into the hall when something occurred to him.

“How will I return it to you? I don’t even know your name!”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ve got it sorted. You just take your exam and don’t panic,” the stranger said, smiling at Edmund. “And it’s Caspian. My name’s Caspian. Good luck!”

Caspian. Caspian. Edmund turned the name over in his head as he found his seat. As soon as the papers were placed on his desk, though, all thought of his handsome rescuer flew out of his head. The only hint of him that remained was the small feeling of warmth that shot through him every time he looked at the calculator on his desk.

Three hours later, Edmund felt as though he’d been run over by a truck. A truck that was mostly made up of physics exam questions, but a truck nonetheless. (If you take university physics, you’ll know what I mean. The entire subject is like being run over by a truck, actually.) The bright afternoon sun hit his eyes as he left the exam hall, forcing him to squint. Caspian’s calculator was warm in his hand, reminding him that he really needed to find its owner somehow.

Partially blinded by the sun as he was, Edmund could hardly be blamed for startling when a shadow appeared in front of him. Squinting more, he realised it was Caspian.

“Here’s your calculator. Thank you so much, I think you saved my life!” Edmund handed over the calculator, smiling up at Caspian gratefully.

For a moment, Caspian seemed as dazed as Edmund, then shook his head and the look in his eyes passed.

“It was my pleasure. Would- would-“ Caspian faltered, then continued on decidedly. “Would you like to get lunch with me? I know a really nice sushi place around the corner.” Caspian wouldn’t quite meet Edmund’s eyes.

“Oh! Um.” Edward’s heart leapt in excitement, but then reality struck in. “Um. I’m. Uh. I don’t think I really can today.” He gestured towards his legs. University students might have a reputation for going to class in pyjamas, but Edmund was a little self-conscious about the thought of going out to lunch with Caspian in his pyjama pants. Exams were one thing, a highly attractive man was another entirely. “Maybe another time?”

Caspian looked disappointed for a second, then recovered his previous cheerfulness. “Not to worry! It was lovely to meet you! Maybe I’ll see you around sometime?”

“Yes, of course! Thank you again for lending me your calculator!” Edmund smiled widely at Caspian, then began to walk in the direction of his flat, strongly determined to wear proper pants to his exams in future.

He looked over his shoulder and caught Caspian’s eye briefly. Caspian gave a little wave and Edmund turned pink as he waved back. Really, of all the days to be wearing pyjamas. It was just his luck.


	2. Sighing Ridiculously in Public: What To Do When Your Life Becomes a Soap Opera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caspian is swooning and sighing. Caspian is lovestruck. Caspian is... potentially being rather melodramatic.

Caspian couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was actually getting rather ridiculous, and he was relieved exams were already over, because there was no way he would’ve been able to take an exam with the boy on his mind.

The worst of it was, he was unlikely to ever see him again, and even if he did, there was no guarantee the boy would want to talk to him. I mean, he thought, he doesn’t know me, and yet I ask him out on a date pretty much as soon as we meet. No wonder he turned me down!

In hindsight, Caspian could see that, yes, that was slightly creepy and overbearing. The only explanation he had to offer was that the boy had utterly bewitched him. Which sounded rather melodramatic, but honestly, that was the only way to put it. At first, Caspian had only turned to watch simply because of the whirlwind the boy made as he dashed down the street. But when he’d picked up the calculator and offered it back to him, he’d been greeted by expressive dark eyes and an absolutely blinding smile. He’d have done anything in that moment to keep receiving those smiles, which is how he ended up sitting outside an exam room for three hours, waiting.

Jesus. He didn’t even know the boy’s name.

Caspian sighed loudly, flopping an arm over his forehead, before embarrassedly straightening up. The bus was not really the place for such antics, he felt. They were more suited to a soap opera or a pantomime, or something equally as dramatic. He pulled himself together with a shake of his head, and noticed the old lady sitting across from him watching amusedly. He smiled weakly at her.

Caspian really didn’t know how he was going to get through the evening. His friend Peter was having a party to celebrate the end of their exams, and had strong-armed him into agreeing to come, but he wasn’t really enthused. There was nothing more that Caspian would have liked than to stay at home and sigh wistfully-

On second thoughts, that was a step too far even for him. Perhaps he’d better go to the party after all. After all, he couldn’t feasibly spend his whole life swooning all over the place because of some guy. That was just weird, he told himself firmly.

The lights were on in Peter’s flat when he got there, and the door was practically shaking to the heavy beat of the music. Great, he thought. Loud parties weren’t really his thing. (Were they really anyone’s thing? You could pretend all you liked, but unless you were totally plastered, loud parties were just very overwhelming and uninteresting simultaneously.) He braced himself and pushed the door open.

“Caspian! Mate! How’s it going!” Peter jumped on him as soon as he’d put a foot over the threshold. Caspian could tell that, while he wasn’t drunk yet, he wasn’t exactly sober either. Peter tended to speak exclusively in exclamations when he drank, a vast contrast to his normally composed self.

“Pretty well, thanks,” Caspian laughed, watching as Peter stubbed a toe on a chair, then apologised to it. Okay, definitely more drunk than sober if his chivalry was extending to furniture.

Caspian had known Peter since his first day of university. They were both in the same engineering course, and had spent their entire year in a bitter rivalry for the first place in the class. As the university didn’t release student ranks, the animosity had remained unresolved until they’d both decided that their second year was hard enough without the addition of total enmity.

These days, Peter was one of his closest friends, but that was unlikely to prevent Caspian from rolling his eyes any time Peter did… well, pretty much anything. True friendship, yeah? Drunkenness only increased the eye-rolling, it had to be noted.

“Have you met my brother! I don’t think you have yet! Or my sister! You should! You never come over when they’re here! Well, Susan doesn’t live here, but you know what I mean! Lucy doesn’t live here either! Have you met Lucy before! She’s my little sister! But she’s not here tonight because she has school tomorrow! Can you imagine! How awful!” Ah, yes. That was the other thing. Peter tended to ramble whilst inebriated. Rambling in exclamations made for tiring listening, but there was nothing to be done now.

Caspian found himself being tugged over to the kitchen, passing several girls who were tipsily doing shots and throwing a rugby ball around. One boy yelled angrily as a drunken throw hit him in the head, but really, there’s no stopping rugby players once they’re drunk. The girls just laughed and continued to throw the ball.

In the corner of the kitchen, standing next to an oven, a pretty girl was talking to a dark-haired boy. When she caught sight of Peter, she made a face wryly before saying something to the boy in front of her.

“Peter. You’re drunk. What on earth are you doing now?” she asked exasperatedly, in that way that only siblings can.

“Susan! Edmund! I brought Caspian over to meet you! Caspian, this is Susan!” The girl smiled at him, her eyes never leaving his face.

“Hey Caspian! I’ve heard a lot about you, it’s great to finally meet you.” She twirled her hair around a finger.

“And this is Edmund! My little brother, I live with him but you’re never around when he’s here!” Peter barrelled on excitedly.

The boy turned around and-

Oh fuck.

It was him.

Edmund.

Caspian’s brain rebooted and came back online around in time to catch Edmund’s sentence.

“Yes, I know him, Pete. Or at least, we’ve met. This is my knight in shining amour, you know, the one with the calculator.” Edmund’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “Saved any more damsels today?”

Caspian felt rather as though their positions had been reversed. Today he was the one struggling to speak.

“Uh…sorry, what?” The question caught up with him. “No, haven’t saved any damsels today. Perhaps I could duel someone for your honour tonight instead?” He could feel himself going pink, but his only consolation was that Edmund was just as flushed.

“That’s alright, I’ll pass. Unless you get really drunk, in which case I think watching you duel would be highly amusing.”

They stared at each other for a moment longer, then Caspian felt a hand on his arm.

“Would you like a drink?” It was Susan. She was looking up at him and smiling again, pulling gently at his arm. He turned away from Edmund, still pink, and nodded, allowing her to lead him into the other room.

Even as a cup was pushed into his hands, he was looking behind him, searching for another glimpse of Edmund.

Melodrama indeed, he thought to himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope Peter wasn't too out of character (although aren't we all out of character when drunk?) Anyway, I expect sober Peter will be more in character. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! As always, comment below and tell me what you thought!


	3. How Not To Murder Your Siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooooooooooooo, jealous are we, Edmund? 
> 
> Some introspection and deep conversations. At a party. Which he's ignoring in favour of lurking in his room. Like any sane person would.

Really, it was too bad that Susan was his sister, Edmund thought, because he really didn’t think his mother would like it if he killed her. Perhaps just a teensy maiming would be okay?

Susan’s face was alight as she talked animatedly with Caspian. Edmund’s face, by contrast, was becoming darker and darker by the minute. He was rather used to pretty boys hanging around his sister at all times, but he was a lot less used to being jealous over the aforementioned pretty boys. Shit. This was bad. All his siblings knew he was gay, but they’d never before liked the same person as him.

The worst of it was, Caspian seemed just as interested in Susan as she was in him. He was totally absorbed in listening to whatever she was saying, responding with smiles and nods. Edmund sighed bitterly, then stalked off to lurk in his room.

He didn’t feel like partying anymore, couldn’t stomach the thought of facing the crowd. He usually avoided Peter’s friends when they were over, anyway, because they could be a little overbearing all together.

Although Edmund had long since grown out of his childhood jealousy of Peter, leaving behind taunts and needling, he couldn’t help but be reminded at times that Peter was the golden boy. Friendly, intelligent, brave, strong. Yes, Edmund preferred to avoid Peter’s friends, because they eventually (if inadvertently) reminded him that he would always be secondary to Peter.

It was never intentional. Just offhand comments about how Edmund never seemed to have people over, how Edmund was always in his room, how Peter had passed his latest exam with full marks, how Peter had won another sports award.

And now here Edmund was, blushing and stammering like a virginal young maiden at Peter’s best friend. Peter’s best friend, who likely was just as smart and talented (and, as Edmund had already observed, attractive) and magnetic as Peter.

Jesus.

What a mess.

Edmund pulled his phone out and called Lucy. In times of trouble, his youngest sister was always a great comfort. Between the four of them, Peter and Susan had always been closest to each other, as had the younger siblings.

“Hey Lu, how’s it going?”

“Edmund!” Lucy exclaimed. “It’s so good to talk to you! I’m alright. Mother’s got the flu so I’ve mostly been taking care of her. She’s nearly well though. Just one of those things going around, she thinks. Anyway, how are you?”

“Not much, really. Had my last exam yesterday. Holidays now, which will be nice.” Edmund hesitated. Although he confided nearly everything in Lucy, he felt uncomfortable with this secret. He didn’t want Lucy to have to choose sides between him and Susan.

“What is it, Ed? What’s the matter?” Trust Lucy to have seen right through him anyway.

“I met a guy,” Edmund said reluctantly. Lucy whooped on the other end of the line. “I was running late for my exam yesterday and dropped my calculator, and it broke. He was nearby and lent me one. But now Pete’s throwing this party tonight and he’s here and he’s flirting with Susan and I just feel confused about it all.”

Lucy sighed understandingly. As a friendly, outgoing child, she had always been well-loved, but sometimes she too struggled to come out from the shadow of their elder siblings, particularly Susan.

“How do you feel about him, then?”

“I don’t know.” Edmund answered honestly. “He’s really attractive and kind, especially lending me his calculator yesterday. But I barely know him, let alone whether he’s interested in me, or even interested in men.”

“Well,” Lucy said thoughtfully, “it sounds as if you’re at least interested in what you’ve seen of him so far.”

Edmund’s mind went in a very different direction than Lucy had probably meant to send it. The thought of, quite literally, seeing more of Caspian was rather distracting.

“But also I take your point about not knowing him. I think the most sensible thing to do would be to get to know him, and then see what happens from there. There’s no point panicking about him and Susan if you haven’t bothered to ascertain the situation.”

Edmund breathed out relievedly. Talking to Lucy was always such a help.

“Anyway, that’s enough about my sordid love life,” Edmund said jokingly. “Tell me all about what you’ve been up to!”

As Lucy began to talk, Edmund heard a knock at the door.

“Oh, hang on, Lu. Someone’s at the door.”

“Edmund?” It was Caspian’s voice. Shit.

“Uh…yeah?” Real smooth, Ed.

“Peter sent me to fetch you. He says, “tell Ed he’s being a wuss and he ought to come have fun”,” Caspian said.

“Liar. Bet he said “Ed’s a little bitch, go drag him out of his room.”,” Edmund replied amusedly. He heard Caspian’s startled laugh through the door, muffled by the wood. He pulled the door open to see Caspian leaning on the doorframe, shaking with laughter.

“Come in, don’t just stand there wheezing. If you pass out from lack of oxygen, it’s not going to be in my doorway.”

Edmund turned back to the phone.

“Sorry Lu, looks like I’m going to have to go. Pete’s sent the cavalry to rescue me from myself.” She said goodbye quickly, and then he hung up, tossing the phone onto his bed.

Caspian was looking interestedly at the posters on his wall.

“Never would have pegged you for a fan of Vermeer,” he said quizzically. Edmund blushed. He had often been teased by his siblings (okay, Peter) when he was younger because of his secret love for the Old Masters and their art. Edmund had prints of all his favourite works pinned to his walls.

“Uh, yeah. I really like his work, actually. He does amazing things with colour, and his paintings are always so peaceful!”

It suddenly struck Edmund that despite his love-at-first-sight feeling, he and Caspian really didn’t actually know one another in the slightest.

Well, he thought, I’m going to have to fix that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it!! Most of this chapter was, admittedly, written at 5am when I should have been getting ready to go to uni. But! Procrastination! So I finished it later today. 
> 
> I have to say, a lot of times in fic it's taken for granted that because the two people had a love-at-first-sight moment, that automatically fixes the fact that they don't know each other. I know that I myself have done that in a previous fic, so I wanted to fix that here and make Edmund realise that attraction does not a relationship make. It's never not time to do some healthy soul-searching, in my opinion. 
> 
> Comment below and tell me what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Correct. I can only write about physics students. Whoops. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it so far! Comment and tell me what you thought!


End file.
